Saturday News: “July Was The Hottest Month In Recorded Human History”; “We’ve always known this moment would come in Afghanistan”; Schwarzenegger: “Don’t Be a Schmuck. Put on a Mask.”; “Vast Stretches of America Are Shrinking. Almost All of Them Voted for Trump.”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, August 14.

• July 2021 was Earth’s hottest month ever recorded, NOAA finds
• Climate change: July world’s hottest month ever recorded – US agency
• July Was The Hottest Month In Recorded Human History
• Oil Giants Turn to Startups for Low-Carbon Energy Ideas
• Opinion: Grim U.N. climate report must inspire change among both individuals and nations
• The End of Coal Is Coming Sooner Than You Think (“Despair elides the progress made over the last two decades.”)
• Our Window of Climate Opportunity
• The World May Never Reach Herd Immunity Against Covid-19
• Epidemiologist agrees with Fauci, says everybody will someday ‘likely’ need a booster shot of the Covid vaccines
• Iran’s Health System ‘Beyond Disastrous’ from Covid Surge
• We have to accept some risk of Covid-19 (“The coronavirus may never truly go away.”)
• The Afghan Military Was Built Over 20 Years. How Did It Collapse So Quickly?
• Afghanistan’s Unraveling May Strike Another Blow to U.S. Credibility
• As Taliban widens its grip, Afghans reckon with life under militant rule. It could be a harbinger of the country’s future.
• There is a very long history in the United States, sadly … trying to blame outsiders for diseases and there isn’t any evidence (“About 80% of those affected by the Taliban offensive are women and children, according to the U.N. The situation has “all the hallmarks of a humanitarian catastrophe,” one official said.”)
• As a Shocking Week Ends, Fear and Uncertainty Loom in Afghanistan
• Reports: US Embassy in Kabul directs staff to destroy sensitive documents as many diplomats prepare for evacuation
• The Return of the Taliban (“Their comeback is a classic example of a successful guerrilla war of attrition.”)
• America’s Catastrophic Afghanistan Exit Has Many Fathers
• Analysis: As Taliban advances, China lays groundwork to accept an awkward reality
• Afghan president says in urgent talks as Taliban take key town near Kabul
• Trump’s New Big Lie: Afghanistan
• Taliban assault imperils slow-building U.S. effort to rescue Afghan allies
• We’ve always known this moment would come in Afghanistan (“The longest armed conflict in U.S. history was a war that never was America’s to win.”)
• In desperation, U.S. scours for countries willing to house Afghan refugees
• Afghanistan: Panic and disbelief as thousands flee Taliban onslaught
• Afghanistan’s Ghani Appeals for Help as Taliban Near Kabul
• Biden in an impossible bind as Afghanistan blame game begins
• Sydney Tightens Its Lockdown as Delta Cases Surge to Record
• August turns into a month of crises as Biden stares down a pivotal moment in his presidency
• Covid-19 Cases Surge as Students Return to Schools
• How the delta variant took over the US
• Don’t Be a Schmuck. Put on a Mask. (ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: Generations of Americans made incredible sacrifices, and we’re going to throw fits about putting a mask over our mouth and nose?)
• US reports nearly 1 million vaccinations in past day, most since early July
• ‘This is a very dangerous combination’: New study says wildfire smoke linked to increased covid cases, deaths
• Fear of COVID-19 in Kids Is Getting Ahead of the Data
• CDC backs third dose of coronavirus vaccine for the immunocompromised
• Consumer sentiment measure falls to pandemic-era low, sees one of largest drops on record (“The dramatic decline comes as the delta variant of Covid-19 has spread rapidly across the United States, leading some states and cities to reinstate mask mandates and other health restrictions.”)
• Calls for violence online similar to before January 6 Capitol attack, DHS Intel chief says
• Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell diverge as Covid cases rise (McConnell is a horrible person, but Rand Paul is *both* a horrible person *and* absolutely insane.)
• Moderate Democrats Are Playing Chicken With Pelosi (Stop using the meaningless word “moderate” in this context.)
• The Census Results Are Making Me Nervous
• Prepare for a long period of political rage. The new census data shows why. (“Conservatives feel threatened by change, while liberals are angry that they’re being shut out of the power they deserve.”)
• The Immoral Lifestyle Republicans Won’t Condemn (“They’re excusing the reckless behavior of COVID vaccine refusers.”)
• How Identity Politics Took Over the Republican Party
• Census data reveals the real reason why the GOP is ramping up its war on democracy (“Trump’s war on democracy is all about white supremacy”)
• Vast Stretches of America Are Shrinking. Almost All of Them Voted for Trump. (“Ninety percent of counties that lost population in the last decade backed the ex-president.”)
• Donald Trump, Remorseless Asshole, Apparently Won’t Encourage People to Get Vaccinated Because It Would Be Doing Biden a “Favor” (Horrible, horrible person.)
• The most dangerous Trump official you’ve never heard of needs to be heard from
• How the GOP could become a multiracial, pro-democracy party — that could win the popular vote
• How Florida Turned American Politics Into a Tabloid Nightmare (“Vanity Fair correspondent Gabriel Sherman joins Joe Hagan to discuss the ‘Floridization’ of conservative politics.”)
• A D.C. Cop At The Jan. 6 Riot Died By Suicide. Sleuths Identified 1 Of The Rioters He Battled.
• Mike Lindell promised Dominion voting machines — but he doesn’t have any (“Purported voting machine in Lindell-apalooza ‘mock precinct’ demo was actually a high-end Canon document scanner”)
• CNN’s Brian Stelter continues shilling for Chris Cuomo
• Pro-Trump media amplified a debunked election fraud story from a partisan website masquerading as local news (These “news” sites are a disaster.)
• Florida Reports Record Covid Infections as Weekly Cases Rise 12% (THIS is Glenn Youngkin’s model for Virginia, apparently.)
• Florida’s DeSantis Nears Court Clash With Parents Over Mask Ban
• DeSantis TV: Newspaper reveals extent of coordination between Fox News and Florida governor (“Fox News doesn’t just cover DeSantis — his office writes the content”)
• Education Secretary ‘deeply concerned’ about DeSantis’ order
• Texas hospitals are facing a COVID-19 disaster. Gov. Abbott must act
• ‘Your child will wait for another child to die.’ Amid Covid-19 surge, Dallas County has no pediatric ICU beds left, county judge says
• Severe Drought Could Threaten California’s Power Supply for Years to Come
• The Cuomo Touch How he lost the governorship.
• Wake up, California! Removing Gavin Newsom would be a disaster
• Recall candidate Larry Elder appears to have not properly disclosed his finances
• The Democratic Senate Majority Could Hinge On California’s Governor Recall
• Official in charge of Wisconsin’s election review attends conspiracy-fueled symposium hosted by MyPillow’s Mike Lindell (Fire the nutjob, immediately)
• Virginia Senior Assistant Attorney General, UVA Counsel Tim Heaphy to Serve as Investigative Counsel to Select Committee to Investigate 1/6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol
• Dire climate change report has environmental activists targeting Rep. Luria in battle for resiliency, infrastructure funds
• Friday Night Update From the ER in Arlington, VA: “I am in favor of kids going back to school…Masks should be worn by everyone >2 years old regardless of vaccination status” (Also from Dr. Mike Silverman: “While we are not as overwhelmed with COVID as we have been previously, we’ve seen a full return of ER volume”)
• No, the surge in Covid cases across the U.S. is not due to migrants or immigrants (“There is a very long history in the United States, sadly … trying to blame outsiders for diseases and there isn’t any evidence” Disgraceful and dangerous.)
• NEW Digital Ad: “Don’t Florida Our Virginia,” Highlights Glenn Youngkin’s Admiration of Ron DeSantis’ Failed COVID-19 Response
• Glenn Youngkin Rallying Tomorrow with Far-Right Extremist Who Was at 1/6 Trump Rally in D.C. Prior to the Assault on the US Capitol
• Equality Virginia Announces 2021 LGBTQ-Affirming Statewide Endorsements: Terry McAuliffe for Governor, Hala Ayala for LG, Mark Herring for AG
• Federal pandemic unemployment benefit programs including an extra $300 a week coming to an end in Virginia next month
• Friday (8/13) Virginia Data on COVID-19: With Delta Now Dominant, Hospitalizations Surpass 1,000 For First Time Since April 29, 10-Day New Cases (+18,484) Highest Since Late February(!)
• Flip-A-District Friday: Volume V (Nadarius Clark, Luke Torian, Rodney Willett, Lashresce Aird, Candi King)
• Virginia to allow law professors, out-of-state attorneys to represent tenants facing eviction
• Judge denies request to stop blasting for pipeline construction on Bent Mountain (“Federal Judge Elizabeth Dillon said she lacks jurisdiction to grant a temporary injunction sought by a landowner.”)
• Mountain Valley Pipeline “preparing to blast through an aquifer and probable wetland that contributes to the watershed for the Spring Hollow Reservoir”
• Witness details alleged money laundering conspiracy during trial against Ex-Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe
• Number of COVID hospitalizations at UVa surging
• Richmond’s white population grew faster than any locality in Virginia. Minority populations grew in the city’s neighboring counties.
• New evidence reveals Bijan Ghaisar was not suspect in 2017 fender bender (Bottom line: it sounds like there was ZERO reason for the police to have done what they did.)
• Richmond Schools Managing 2 Quarantines as Fall In-Person Learning Looms
• Get the vaccine or get fired? In Shenandoah Valley, some nurses choose termination. (Bye bye!)
• Chesapeake will spend $2.7 million for police ‘retention’ bonuses
• D.C.-area forecast: Cold front delivers more showers and storms today, but it also breaks the heat wave